Down the Gulf Coast

Our outboard motor for our dinghy was finally repaired and it was time to release our lines and say goodbye to Tarpon Springs.  It was a fun stop and we thoroughly enjoyed the friendly liveaboards at Anclote Marina, but we needed to head south.  We had clear skies and light winds for our first day of cruising down the coast.  As we neared the Tampa/St. Pete area we saw the beautiful Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans Tampa Bay.  We were not going into the Bay so we traveled along the bridge until we were ready to head further south to our first stop on Treasure Island.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay

We had heard about a free dock that was offered to any cruisers who were traveling along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) so we thought we would take advantage of their hospitality.  We called Jeff Wright and were given permission to dock behind their home on Treasure Island.  He guided us into our slip and Suzanne joined him on the dock with their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  We invited them to share the chicken/rice casserole we were preparing for dinner and they suggested that we bring it into their home and Suzanne made a salad to complete the meal.  We ate and visited until well into the evening and were grateful for the new friends we had made that day.  What a gift of hospitality we found in that home!

Jeff and Suzanne Wright

We said our goodbyes in the morning and headed south again for Bradenton Beach where we were going to visit with Ben Mixter and his wife Terry.  We docked at the Bradenton Beach marina and made arrangements for them to pick us up for dinner at a restaurant of their choice.  Ben and I met in 6th grade when he came from Woods Hole elementary school to the Falmouth Hall school and we shared our Middle and High School experiences until he left in 10th grade to attend another school.  It was wonderful to renew his acquaintance and to meet his beautiful wife, Terry. 

Ben and Terry Mixter

Our intention was to move further south the next morning, but we woke up to rain, fog and wind and decided to stay where we were.  We walked the beach and stopped for an ice cream.  We were going to get together with Ben and Terry again, but Ben was catching some kind of "bug" and didn't want to share it.  Good idea!!  The next morning we faced the same kind of weather and were content to wait it out one more day.  The marina had a boater's lounge that had a large screen TV so we enjoyed some football and a movie that afternoon.  We finally woke up to sun and light wind and it was time to head south again.  We released our lines and backed out of the slip and headed to the channel that led to the ICW.  As we reached the first marker, Flint realized that he had not cleaned the morning dew off of the window and as he turned the corner at the end of the wharf, he was blinded by the sun hitting the wet isinglass.  He missed the first marker and there were rocks in the shallow water on the other side.  We were aground on the rocks!!  We called Boat US to come and pull us off and they were there in a very short time.  He threw us a line that we attached to our bow and he rotated us around and pull us into deeper water.  We had made arrangements for the marina to short haul us and change our props and we were back in the water and on our way in a very short time.  They say that you are not a true captain if you haven't been on the rocks, so Flint is my true Captain!!

Those rocks are a little too close for comfort

We were both a little shaky after our grounding experience, but it didn't take long for us to get a comfort level again.  The weather was great and the running was easy.  We had to transit a number of bridges but we were able to fit under most of them and we didn't have to wait for them to open.  The few that were too low either opened on demand or we arrived just before they were due to open so we were fortunate not to have to wait too long.  We felt sorry for the sailboats traveling the ICW as they needed to have all the bridges open for them.  Most of them travel outside in the Gulf to keep from having their progress slowed down by bridges.  As we arrived in the Englewood Beach area we saw a large cloud of smoke to the east and we wondered what was burning.  We anchored in Lemon Bay and hoped that the smoke from the fire would not create an odor problem for us.  As the evening progressed we were pleased to see that the wind was taking the smoke well out into the Gulf.  We went to bed as the beautiful full moon rose above us.  It was lunar eclipse night and I was hoping to wake up in time to see it and thankfully I woke at 2 AM.  Flint heard me get up and joined me as we watched the process until the last bit of moon was covered and a dark, red glow showed around it.  The following picture is very amateurish, but it gives you an idea of what we saw.

Lunar Eclipse 12/21/2010

We hauled our anchor and prepared to cruise one last day before we settle in for a longer stay at our next port.  We passed so many beautiful homes on the islands that border the GIWW.  You have probably heard of Boca Grande and Captiva, but there is a private island called Useppa that has no cars, no bridges and no crowds and is considered a wonderful place to relax.  You need to be a "member" of the private island club in order to enjoy its amenities.  It is possible to vacation there, but the cost per day is significant.  Not on our vacation schedule!!

Useppa Island

We were escorted by dolphin all the way through the mangrove swamps as we neared the Caloosahatchee River where we were going to dock at the Cape Coral Yacht Club for a month or more.  It felt good to slide into our dock and know that we would be there for an extended time.  I don't think we are very good cruisers because we love to stop for periods of time and enjoy the local people and get some solid ground under us for awhile.  We called our friends, Ron and Linda Gumm, whom we had cruised extensively with during the first part of our trip.  They bought a condo here over a year ago and they were going to give us their small truck to use while we were in Cape Coral.  We have so many activities available for us here, such as a heated pool, tennis courts, beach, fishing pier, racketball courts and shopping just a mile or so away.  We connected with Jan and Tim Kraus, whom we traveled with on the river system in 2008 and they have also purchased a home here.  We had dinner together and chatted for hours while their cruising pictures scrolled by on their TV screen.  Christmas Eve arrived and we attended services at Cape Community Church.  We plan on making them our church home while we are here and hope that we can connect with a small group in our area.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!!  Flint is out fishing on the pier and caught some Spadefish and a Sheepshead.   We are fully enjoying this 70 degree Florida Christmas.  Be back with you after the New Year.